• PCEPD
  
• The Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
  
• Computers and employment
  
• Starting your own business
  
• Temporary work
  
• The right to work
  
• Advocacy and volunteering
  

Employment continues to be the area with the widest gulf between those who are disabled and those who are not. Only three in ten working-age adults with disabilities are employed full or part-time, compared to eight in ten nondisabled adults. Working-age adults with disabilities are no more likely to be employed today than they were a decade ago, even though almost three out of four who are not working say that they would prefer to be working. This low rate of employment has, in turn, led to an income gap that has not narrowed at all since 1986, with one in three disabled adults, compared to just one in eight nondisabled Americans, living in very low income households with less than $15,000 in annual income.¹

Some can't work or find work because of physical issues such as pain, spasticity, limited energy, or communication difficulties. Unfortunately, there also appears to be some discrimination on the part of employers, overt or not. Journalist John Hockenberry--a wheelchair user--produced an investigative report shown in 1997 on Dateline NBC. He sent two young men to various employers asking for work. One was quadriplegic, the other walked. The résumé of the chair rider was intentionally slightly better than the other decoy. Witnessed by hidden cameras, several potential employers used tactics to discourage the man with the disability. In one case, he was told there were no application forms, although forms were produced for the walking applicant. In another case, the able-bodied man was invited into a preliminary training session not offered to the chair rider.

These prospective employers might have doubted the ability of the chair rider to perform the job, but they are at least guilty of pre-judgment without taking the time to ask how the applicant would adapt to the tasks of the job. In most cases, resistance is not a matter of hateful prejudice, but of simple ignorance. When you apply for a job, try to know something ahead of time about the tasks involved, and be prepared to explain how you will perform them. You could also point a potential employer to resources such as the Job Accommodation Network, described below.

There are some tax incentives for employers who spend money on accommodations for disabled employees. The Disabled Access Credit (IRS Section 44) allows companies with gross receipts under one million dollars or with fewer than thirty full-time employees to take a tax credit of 50 percent of their expenditures for access, up to $5,000 a year. The Architectural and Transportation Barrier Removal Deduction (IRS Section 190) can be as large as $15,000, although it was reduced from $35,000 in 1990. You might improve your chances if you arrive at your job interview equipped with this information.

One of the greatest challenges to the ability to work is the current structure of the benefits system. Social Security disability benefits, for instance, are tied to a person's income--and you are not allowed to make very much without risking the end of your checks or the loss of health and assistance coverage under Medicare. Similar income limits apply to state-administered programs like Medicaid (MediCal in California) which serve people with low incomes. Some people with the skills and desire simply cannot afford to work. Changes are being proposed to reform Social Security to increase incentives for people with disabilities to work.

People with disabilities are working more these days, even in the face of considerable physical limitations. More options are possible than either a person with a disability or an employer might imagine. More people will get the chance to demonstrate what is possible, as more workers with disabilities appear in the workplace. Some progressive programs sponsored by rehab facilities, universities, independent living programs, or large employers are designed to promote hiring of disabled workers, so they also make more opportunities available.

PCEPD

The President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (PCEPD) was formed by President John Kennedy in the early 1960s to assist the business community in hiring people with disabilities.

Each year the committee holds a conference which attracts people around the country, from both government and the private sector. Seminars and lectures at the conference help corporate executives, human resources specialists, disability advocates, union representatives, and other interested parties in promoting employment of people with disabilities.

PCEPD helps employers assess whether someone is capable of performing a job. Job analysis materials help them determine employment issues such as:

• What functions are essential to the job
• What physical tasks--climbing, kneeling, lifting, carrying, etc.--are necessary
• How the job would be altered if certain physical requirements were removed or changed
• What movements through the office or field site are necessary
• What social conditions and interaction with colleagues are required
• What general skills are necessary for the job
• How previous experience might be substituted for lack of specific training or education
• What equipment, spatial arrangement, or job redesign measures can accommodate a person's ability to perform the job

Employers are sometimes hard-pressed to imagine how a person with a disability could perform a given task, but this is often because they don't know how people adapt. PCEPD helps overcome employers' resistance by demonstrating how the job can be performed, what adaptations the employer can make, and the benefits of hiring people with disabilities who are often among the most loyal of employees.

PCEPD is active on the political front. In March of 1998, President Clinton established a task force whose mission is to bring levels of employment for people with disabilities up to par with the general population. Tony Coelho, chairman of the President's Committee, is optimistic about the task force, despite the current poor state of employment for people with disabilities.

Only 26 percent of working age people with severe disabilities are employed--contrast that with the 82 percent employment rate of the general adult population. The employment figures for individuals with severe disabilities who are also members of racial or ethnic minority groups is even worse!

Yet I for one am confident that we are going to see real progress in increasing the employment rate of Americans with disabilities.

By the time the Task Force presents its final report to the President on July 26, 2002--the tenth anniversary of the initial implementation of the employment provisions of the ADA--we are going to be able to point with pride to higher employment rates for people with disabilities.²

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

A service of the PCEPD, the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides information to employers to help them hire and accommodate special needs of employees with disabilities. An employer can call an 800 number to take advantage of resources, including:

• Information on adapting a job for a person with a disability
• Information on accommodating an employee with minimal expense
• Support for mobility, sensory, and neurological disabilities
• Access to a large library of material about strategies and products
• Services in English, Spanish, and French

The JAN tells employers that hiring people with disabilities expands the pool of qualified employees, and that learning how to accommodate disability reduces Workers' Compensation and other insurance costs. The JAN stresses that accommodations do not cost what employers generally expect--88 percent of accommodations suggested by JAN cost less than $1,000.

Computers and employment

Technology is creating new opportunities for working with a disability. People can work in offices or at home with a modem, voice-activated computer, and speaker phone. Adaptive technology will continue to give entry points to employment for people with disabilities.

An encouraging note was reported by economists Douglas Kruse and Alan Krueger. They found that people with spinal cord injuries with sufficient computer skills were able to earn the same level of income as an able-bodied worker. The disability was completely transparent where pay was concerned--unlike the overall population of people with disabilities who earn less for the same work than the general population. The study reports:

Current computer use at work appears to significantly enhance the earnings power of people with SCIs and of the general population, even after controlling for the effects of education, experience, job seniority, union status, gender, and race. Indeed, SCI workers who use a computer at work earn essentially the same amount per week as non-SCI workers, while among non-users of computers the pay of SCI workers is lower than that of non-SCI workers. Those with SCIs who use a computer at work tend to work substantially more hours per week, and are more likely to hold full-time jobs than are SCI workers who do not work with computers.³

There is a tremendous need for people with computer and technology skills. Jobs in programming, data analysis, or database administration are waiting for qualified candidates. The situation is severe enough that in 1998 one of the top news stories in California's Silicon Valley was about the desire of the computer industry to allow more immigration of people with these skills because of the industry's claim that there are not enough qualified candidates in the U.S.

At the May 1998 national conference of the President's Committee, chairman Tony Coelho made these comments in his opening speech:

Right now, more than 346,000 computer-programmer and systems-analyst jobs are vacant in U.S. companies with more than 100 employees. These jobs pay well. Computer science graduates are receiving job offers averaging over $40,000 a year!

A positive result of the labor shortage is that barriers of discrimination are beginning to fall. Businesses of all sizes are looking at people with disabilities to fill their needs. This burgeoning demand creates an enormous opportunity for people with disabilities who have the skills and experience employers seek.⁴

The study by Kruse and Krueger found that people with quadriplegia, college graduates, and younger people were more likely to use a computer, and this correlated to higher levels of employment. Companies did not have to invest in training people or risk hiring someone without proven skills. Other findings include:⁵

• Only 17 percent of spinal cord injured workers returned to their previous job following injury.
• Another 10 percent said they could have returned to their previous work if they had been provided training and adaptive devices.
• Pay per hour was only slightly lower for people re-employed after injury, but hours--and weekly pay--fell by 25 percent.
• 51 percent of people in white collar jobs returned to work.
• 32 percent of people in blue collar jobs returned to work.

Larger corporations tend to be more willing to invest in hiring people with disabilities and in the equipment they need. They have the resources to commit to searching for people, sending staff to conferences such as those put on by PCEPD, and supporting accommodation needs of an employee. Ultimately, these efforts are worth the investment.

Starting your own business

Technology has made it easier to operate a business from home. A computer with a modem, a telephone, and a fax machine put you in contact with the world--including clients.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) helps some people seeking financing for a small business startup. They don't make direct loans, but if your bank turns you down, you might qualify for an SBA loan guarantee under the Handicapped Assistance Loan (HAL) program. If your application is accepted, SBA essentially promises to pay the bank if you default on the loan, removing the bank's risk. The SBA puts certain limits on the interest the bank may charge and also restricts the type of business they will approve. Gambling or real estate investment, for instance, are excluded from its list of approved businesses.

The SBA also provides information to help you start your business. Local offices provide advisers through the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) program, in which retired business executives review your plans and consult with you to help ensure success.

Temporary work

The workplace has witnessed an extraordinary shift toward contract and part-time workers. Corporations want to reduce full-time staff in order to save fixed overhead expenses of wages and benefits. More work projects are of shorter duration, with rapidly changing marketplaces and technologies. It can be difficult to predict what skills a company will need at any one time. Part-time and contract workers give companies flexibility.

Manpower Incorporated is an example of a temporary employment agency which has grown to be one of the largest corporations in the world. It maintains a list of people with specific skills and refers them to companies who call looking for those skills. Wages are paid by Manpower, who is paid a fee by the employer. Temporary job referrals can result in full-time jobs, since some companies see the service as a way of getting to know a potential employee without having to make a commitment to hire them full-time from the start.

Many people question the impact of part-time and contract work on employees and communities. Workers can wonder where the next job will come from, not earn as much as they need, or lose security by not having health or retirement benefits. However, many people like being a contract worker. You get to work on a variety of projects, meet more people, and gain a variety of skills. You also get to experience the employer before making a full-time commitment, if that is an option. If you can perform some work at home, you might be able to gain a tax benefit from deducting the costs of a home office. The flexibility of contract work can be a good employment solution for a person with a disability.

Some companies are experimenting with flex-time, in which jobs are shared and--to the degree possible--people set their own hours. This--along with part-time contract opportunities--opens up possibilities for people who have trouble committing to a full-time job because they are unable to predict physical problems such as severe infections, pressure sores, or exacerbations of MS, for instance.

The right to work

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires equal opportunity for people with disabilities, affecting all employers in the private sector with fifteen or more employees, as of July 26, 1994. The ADA protects you from being discriminated against for employment solely based on your disability. It does not guarantee you a job. You still have to qualify based on your abilities.

Federal agencies and any business receiving federal contracts of $10,000 or more were already held from discriminating based on disability by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Sections 501 and 503 called on the government and its contractors to take affirmative action to hire people with disabilities.

The Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 similarly requires government contractors to take affirmative action on behalf of covered veterans.

Advocacy and volunteering

Many people with disabilities are not employed, but still have time and skills to contribute. There are satisfying and productive options available.

There is plenty of work to do to advance the opportunities--or remove the barriers--for people with disabilities. There is no shortage of groups and associations who need help with advocacy. You can volunteer time at your local Independent Living Center or a disability-specific group like United Cerebral Palsy to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities in our culture.

American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) is probably the most radical of disability advocacy groups. It has taken militant action in order to achieve access to transportation and personal assistance services in the community rather than nursing homes. There are local chapters of ADAPT in many cities around the country.

You can volunteer time and experience to a local rehabilitation hospital, which typically welcome people in a peer support role for people facing a new disability. You might be surprised how much you have to offer from your own experience.

There are always issues of importance to the disability community which require people to express support or concerns about pending legislation of public policies. Organizations such as ADAPT or Justin and Yoshiko Dart's Justice for All regularly notify people about such activities, as do politically oriented publications such as The Ragged Edge or Mouth. You can contribute with letters or phone calls to representatives, business, or civic leaders expressing your position on disability issues.

There are many other volunteer options to choose from. Visits to a local elementary school are often welcome by teachers, either to support their programs or as a way of offering children positive models of people with disabilities. Many libraries are looking for tutors to help teach adult reading courses. Local churches or agencies need help in serving many people in need, such as those who are homeless. Especially if you are feeling frustrated with your life, devoting time to your community is a wonderful way to forget your own problems and gain meaning and gratification.

The fact is that no one has the right to tell you that you can't work because of your disability. If you have the motivation, a desire to learn and develop a profession or skill, and some notion of how you would adapt your disability to that work, then go do it. Even people who should know better--like rehab staff--might discourage you for fear that you are hoping for too much. But the case has been made many times over. People with disabilities of all sorts are working as doctors, lawyers, activists, writers, publishers, artists, musicians, inventors, business owners, athletes, and almost any other pursuit you can imagine. If you want to work, then get out there and find out on your own terms what it takes.

Notes:

1. Risher, The 1998 N.O.D./Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities.

2. Tony Coelho, chairman, opening remarks, President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities 51st Annual Conference.

3. Douglas Kruse and Alan Krueger, Disability, Employment, and Earnings in the Dawn of the Computer Age--Executive Summary, Bureau of Economic Research, Rutgers University, October 1995.

4. Tony Coelho's opening remarks.

5. Kruse, Disability, Employment, and Earnings.